A pinch is a type of two against one play. There are several pinching methods, but in general it is important to have each teammate close to the opponent, taking away the space the opponent has to maneuver the puck.
The goal of a pinch is to have two players set up so that the opponent doesn't have any (or very few) options to get away from the puck. This can be done by compromising the opponent's body position or presence on the bottom and putting the puck where one of the two players pinching can easily pick it up.
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Pinches can be used in any part of the playing area and should be used as much as possible. Having two players set up on one player is the most reliable way to advance the puck, because a well done pinch will almost always go in favor of the two, regardless of the levels of the players involved.
When pinching a player, it is important to be careful to avoid obstructing the opponent. This can happen if a player without the puck sets up next to an opponent and ends up blocking the opponent from getting the puck (screening) or any of the player involved swim into another player (barging).
The two black team players get on either side of the opponent. Even though the white team player got her stick on the puck for a moment, the other two were close enough that they still easily ended up with the puck.
In this example a player on the black team does a hard drive up the pool, and players on the white team follow and pinch from either side. The two white players take away the options of the black player and end up with the puck because they both stayed close.
PINCHES